In this episode, Michael Scott (Steve Carell) screens his action film Threat Level Midnight to the office after ten years of writing, shooting, re-shooting, and editing.

The episode was the highest-rated NBC series of the week that it aired, and received acclaim from critics, many of whom enjoyed the humor and the continuity references to the show's past.

Michael Scott screens his action film Threat Level Midnight to the office after 11 years of writing, shooting, re-shooting and editing.

While Samuel rescues the hostages, Scarn is instructed by Cherokee Jack's ghost, and is able to hit the puck out of the stadium, saving the day, restoring Billy's satellite TV reception, and blowing up Goldenface in the process.

However, Pam is unable to keep herself from crying out in horror when she sees her mother cast in the film as a scantily clad nurse, and Jim fails to fully suppress his laughter at the scene of "The Scarn", so Michael angrily stops the movie and takes it away.

Michael's screenplay for Threat Level Midnight was the subplot for second season episode "The Client", and had subsequently been referenced to in "Email Surveillance", "Product Recall", "Money", "Dinner Party", and "Prince Family Paper".

[4] Andy Buckley, who portrayed David Wallace, former CFO of Dunder Mifflin, was originally billed as a guest star for this episode and his character was supposed to have a part in Michael's movie.

Ellie Kemper, who portrays Erin Hannon on the series, did not appear in the movie; Novak reasoned that Michael had finished his filming long before she arrived at the office, and had spent the remaining years "editing and procrastinating".

[4] This was done in a way to make it appear that Michael at least knew what he was doing; Novak explained that the crew "didn't want the joke of the episode to be how bad he was at filmmaking" because it would "be a little easy and a little out of character".

[4] To create the fake dummy of Toby that exploded, Paul Lieberstein was required to spend several hours in a full-face mold that reportedly "unnerved him greatly".

In order to successfully pull this off, editor David Rogers and script supervisor Veda Semame were tasked with "mapping out" every scene to make sure the continuity of the series was preserved.

The scene featuring "The Scarn" would have been filmed after the corporate merger that occurred during the third season; this would explain Karen's willingness to deliver her lines, as she would be "eager to fit in".

[4] Stanley's voiceover was recorded "on a lunch break" sometime after the fourth season episode "Local Ad" because he had "got a big kick out of seeing himself" in Michael's commercial.

Series Department Head make-up artist LaVerne Caracuzzi-Milazzo and Hair Department Head Kim M. Ferry "put great care and effort into recreating the characters' looks from earlier seasons"; Novak, for instance wore "the same bright blue shirt that Ryan used to favor" and fake sideburns were glued onto the actor's face to "match the era".

For instance, during the cold opening for the sixth season episode "Shareholder Meeting" featuring "Recyclops", a montage of Dwight harassing past receptionists was shown.

[citation needed] In its original American broadcast on February 17, 2011, "Threat Level Midnight" was viewed by an estimated 6.41 million viewers and received a 3.3 rating/9 percent share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49.

IGN writer Cindy White awarded the episode a 9 out of 10—denoting an "amazing" episode—and praised the self-awareness of Michael Scott and Steve Carell's performance.

[11] Bonnie Stiernberg of Paste wrote that "there wasn’t a ton of action this week, but it was just enough to keep Michael’s personal growth on our radar as we continue to brace ourselves for his grand finale.

[13] Alan Sepinwall wrote that, despite the episode being "goofy ... silly, and [and] about as nonsensical as the film itself", "Threat Level Midnight" was "a fun, sweet tour through the history of the Michael Scott era".

On the other hand, he felt that Michael's "juvenile" response to Holly was uncharacteristic, and the "oddly high production values and camera work" were unrealistic for the show.

[15] Rick Porter of Zap2it gave the episode a mixed review, saying that it "had moments that were a huge amount of fun, both inside Michael's labor of love and in people's reaction to it.

In 2015, Welsh pop punk band Neck Deep released their second studio album, Life's Not Out To Get You, which contained the song "Threat Level Midnight".

[17] Various lines from the episode are sampled in the song "My Strange Addiction" by the American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish for her debut album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?